focus. focus.

Hey blog peeps.

I have many many good stories.

I've shared some verbally, and they were entertaining to my listeners.
For real! There's nothing like getting instant feedback by hearing a laugh or seeing amusement on your listener's face.

...I'm pretty sure that means the story would make a good blog posting. The only problem with this is that I don't have the time to sit and type it all out in a way that conveys it in the right way to you. I have to be in the right mindset.

Right now my mindset is to focus on homework (...which I'm obviously doing well as I'm typing on my blog)
FOCUS.
Yeah...

So, maybe sometime when I have time to really type, I'll share some of the stories from this crazy college experience. 

Maybe tomorrow.

Also, this:

some weeks...

This week has been insane. I can't believe how much time it has taken. Physically, it has been no longer than any other week (as far as I know), but mentally, it has felt much, much longer.

It's the weekend! While I should probably rejoice over this fact, I'm slightly overwhelmed by the amount of homework that will be due in a few days time.

I feel like I should just be a hermit until said things are accomplished. I have a nervousness that I will put the things off [my tendancy] until they are all on top of me and I suffocate from the weight of procrastination. College procrastination is much heavier than high school procrastination, leading to sooner suffocation.

*deep breath*
It's all going to be okay.

On top of it all, this week has also been rather amusing in events that have happened. I really wish I had a camera crew following me discreetly sometimes, so that I could later view my week at my leisure.

Maybe I'll write a book. I'll write a book about the craziness that is my life. The style: tongue-in-cheek, because everyone knows those are the best kinds of books. It will be written for my own benefit, really. And probably I'll force a copy on my close friends and relatives.

But 19 years of my life have been fantastic so far, and rather humorous years at that.
I hope they keep going at this rate. Maybe it's just me, but I hold to the philosophy that humor and amusement is everywhere, if only you look for it.
 ...a decidedly good thing, for I dearly love to laugh.

Getting into shape

This made me laugh hard:

Anyways...
Four weeks into the semester!
My friend reminded me that we are (already or only, call it what you will) 1/4 of the way done with the fall semester.
I'm not sure if I should be encouraged or discouraged.

I have been struggling with time management. I am not the kind of person who can explicitly schedule out every minute of my day, but I do have to have some sort of structure in my life. I've been putting social first, which is not good. I need to become more of a hermit-like person.
I did go on an amazing fall retreat last weekend:

I realize that this whole "college thing" is totally a God-thing.
Going into it, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be getting in, I applied late, I would have to have a ton of loans, and then I was out-of-country for most of the class enrollment period. I was just like, whatever God wills will happen. I surrendered it to Him and stopped worrying about it {mostly}

All of those excuses? God took care of everything. Every little detail!

Now I just have to work to get the groove of using my brain.

I am feeling pretty certain that God has put me in this place to learn and grow. I've heard a few stories of God pulling people out of college to go into full-time work, but I'm experiencing the inverse. God directs every path individually (such a beautiful thought) and if I keep on trusting Him, I know He'll see me through.
My faith is growing through all of this.

So as I'm working on getting mentally in shape, I'm also working on the physical side of in-shapeness. Running around campus from class to class is a good workout. Whee windsprints! My backpack is also about 100 pounds [maybe a slight exaggeration], so it's a good arm/back workout.

My university has an amazing gym, and I've been trying to go there and swim, weight train, and run. My goal is to build up to the ability to run a 1/2 marathon again (and do way better than before)

I've never been a lap swimmer, so the ability to jump in and swim 25+ laps would be awesome. Yesterday I did 8. But Rome was not built in a day...

Anyways, all of that to say that there is much to work on and improve in my life, but God is holding me up! Kind of a boring update, but c'est la vie.

I so love this passage. I identify with Israel, thinking that maybe God doesn't care so much. But He does! {Isaiah 40}:

27Why do you say, O Jacob,

and complain, O Israel,

“My way is hidden from the Lord;

my cause is disregarded by my God”?

28Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

29He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

30Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

31but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Come back, Monday!

The whole labor-day thing is throwing my week out of whack!
I need my Mondays.
As much as I might moan about Mondays, they're actually a pretty amazing day.

They take the full brunt of people's complaints.
I don't think I know of anyone who thinks Monday is their favorite day.

A google search of "Monday" proved to be...interesting
From cute little kittens

 To a really bizarre, "Have a Magical Monday"

Poor underrated Monday.

Monday is so dependable though. It takes a beating, is universally disliked, yet it still comes around once a week.

Except for this week. This week Monday took the day off, decided to be a weekend day, and the rest of my days have suffered.
I am used to having one day to gripe, and then all is well. Instead, my week feels like I overslept my alarm on an exam day, and I'm dashing out the door while trying to wake up.


>>>
I am a nutrition science major, and therefore I should be eating like a healthy person.
HA
Ha ha ha ha

If you saw what I've been consuming since the start of college, you'd be shaking your head. I'm working on figuring out how to eat healthily while also not having conventional eating times open and not being close to a kitchen.

My diet has ranged from celery sticks to McDonald's (though I'm not eating there again for a LONG, long, long time)

I have also been eating gluten-free bagels (I have a wheat allergy, therefore, gluten-free)
Bagels are one of my all-time favorite foods. When I found out wheat was making me sick, I was okay with giving up most breads.
But even giving up bagels? That was a sacrifice.

Then Udi's was discovered! I am now not feeling so deprived and full of self pity.

free product placement!

Only one thing that has remained consistent in my diet: my coffee.
I have consumed much caffeine. 

I'm happy God created the coffee bean.

Also, a coffee company visited my college and gave a talk about their facility.
I now know my dream job: coffee cupping.

You get to taste coffee. As a job.
All day, every day, tasting and rating coffee.